Woman wakes up in hospital, realizes she is the only survivor of car crash that killed her husband and four daughters
A mother who was the sole survivor of a horrifying car crash that claimed the lives of her husband and four daughters reportedly told her aunt upon waking up in the hospital: "I'm alone". Mary Rose Ballocanag, a 53-year-old from Teaneck, New Jersey was in a hospital in Delaware on July 8 after she had sustained broken bones in a terrible car crash that took place on July 6 afternoon.
61-year-old Audie Marquez Trinidad, Ballocanag's husband, and their four daughters — 20-year-old Kaitlyn, 17-year-old Danna, and 13-year-old twins Melissa and Allison — all lost their lives in the accident when the family was on their way back home after going on a trip to Ocean City, Maryland. The authorities have said that the family was traveling north on Route 1 in Delaware shortly before 4 pm when a maroon-colored pickup truck went over the center median into oncoming traffic and hit their white Toyota Sienna minivan.
Five of the family members had died at the scene of the crash. Images of the wrecked minivan that stopped on the median looked graphic and have been intentionally kept away from this article. According to the Post, the driver of the pickup truck that caused the devastating scene has been revealed as 44-year-old Alvin Hubbard Jr. He along with an unnamed 30-year-old male passenger only suffered minor injuries, the Daily Mail reported.
Ballocanag had been asleep before the crash occurred and woke up shortly after the minivan came to standstill to find her husband's head resting on her chest. She was the only survivor of the family. The authorities are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the accident. Habbard, for the moment, has not been charged with any crime.
Ballocanag's aunt, Lydia Agas, said that she spoke to her devastated niece in the hospital. She is still under heavy sedation and, according to relatives, is still struggling to accept that the rest of the family is dead. Daniel Trinidad, Audie's brother, told the New York Post that the family is shocked by the sudden loss.
He said: "I'm trying to keep it together. We don't know how we will cope once reality sets in. They're all gone, gone. They're a God-fearing family. They go to church. My brother texted me a picture of the blue crabs they ate on 4th of July. They're all gone in the blink of an eye. Their bodies in the morgue are unrecognizable."
Sara Contreras, an actress from the Latin Divas of Comedy show from Showtime, knew the 17-year-old daughter Danna and posted an emotional message about the girl on her Instagram page. She wrote: "Danna, a lovely and brilliant Teaneck HS student and beloved friend of my extended family, was killed yesterday along with her three sisters and father in a car accident. Make every day a new opportunity to value yourself, your family and your friends. Life is too precious and it can all be taken in a second. We grieve as a community for this beautiful family. It's incredibly sad and incomprehensible."
Delaware State Police Master Corporal Melissa Jaffe told NBC 10: "It's certainly heartbreaking as you can imagine. Those of us that have families and children, I mean, I feel so bad for this family. I can't imagine what they're going through. To lose four children in a crash ... it's just unheard of."
Joel Paul Mogol Ballocanag, the uncle, posted an emotional tribute to the deceased family members on his Facebook page on July 7 afternoon. He wrote: "Too many angels were taken from our family yesterday. My four nieces and their dad died instantly in a vehicular accident in Delaware USA. My sister Mary Rose Ballocanag continues to fight for her life and still in a critical condition. I am soliciting prayers for the souls of Kuya Audie, Nikki, Danna, Mellisa and Allison and lots of prayers for the recovery of my sister Ate Rose."
A GoFundMe page was set up on July 7 to help the rest of the family with funeral arrangements for the five deceased members as well as any medical expenses Mary Rose will need for her recovery. Around $162,000 has been raised from the original $250,000 goal on the page. An update was posted on the page where family and friends said that Mary Rose was now "stable and alert". They said they will update the page with further information on how she is doing at a later time.
According to ABC, Mary Rose works as a nurse at the Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital in New York. Her husband, Audie, had been a postal worker.
The GoFundMe page says: "Thank you for your kindness in remembering Audie, Kaitlyn, Danna, Allison, Melissa and your amazing support for Mary Rose through your donations, and heartfelt messages. As an update, we have increased our initial goal amount. As shared in our previous messaging when setting our initial goal we were uncertain of the level of support Mary Rose would need.
"While there is no simple way to determine the true cost of this tragic and horrific event; it is our intention to remain transparent and provide appropriate updates that will allow each donor to know that their donation is meaningful, appreciated, and used for its intended purpose."
"At this time, the immediate focus is on supporting the family in transferring their remains from Delaware, and funeral arrangements for each of the five deceased family members, which have not yet been finalized, and supporting any medical or transportation expenses as a result of Mary Rose being hospitalized outside of her home state. Again, your thoughtfulness and generosity are much appreciated by the entire family and the community. I hope we all continue to be inspired in helping others as this would be impossible without your help."